Thursday, 21 October 2010

What ‘Dignity’?

A worker in a wheelchair who was nicknamed ‘Ironside’ after the disabled 1970s TV detective has won a £6,000 payoutfor his ‘violated dignity’.

Eh..?

While the television series starring Raymond Burr as the investigator paralysed by a sniper’s bullet has been hailed for its positive representation of wheelchair-users, Mr Davies complained he found the name offensive.

Ah, right. And of course, finding something ‘offensive’ now means mucho bucks. From the taxpayer, of course.

What sort of person woul…

Ah. Right:

Mr Davies, a divorced father-of-three from Wigan, has worked for Remploy for 30 years, originally as a machinist but now as a full-time representative of the GMB union although he is still paid by the Government-supported firm.

Wonderful! The taxpayer gets to pay several times over, in this little drama; for the union leech, for the tribunal costs, for the payout…

Still, I suppose if he wasn’t treated correctly by the firm, then he has every right to…

Oh, FFS!

He complained to Remploy, but even though it disciplined the manager, Mr Davies took the firm to a tribunal demanding compensation.

It’s not like he’s any angel himself:

At the hearing in Manchester, Remploy argued that Mr Davies often used foul and aggressive language and that he could not have been seriously offended by being called Ironside.

Why has he not been disciplined for the language?

Oh, right, an Untouchable; disability plus union leech…

But employment judge John Sherratt concluded: ‘We find that his dignity was violated.

‘If someone uses what might be considered offensive language it does not mean that the person cannot reasonably be offended by remarks relating to him and his disability.’

He’s not being ‘reasonably offended’. Anyone who was offended would have accepted the company’s action and not resorted to this. He just wants a payout.

Mr Davies, you are a worthless waste of oxygen. But not because you’re disabled, though…